Final Days

A few friends and I were able to visit Al-Jazeera's Beijing office on Friday due to an invite from the family friend who works there. The office is basically an extended apartment in the diplomatic compound as they do most of their reporting on location in Beijing and the surrounding areas. They have an equipment storage room, editing room, and a main room with desks for all the journalists. They are able to send out their pieces through some hi-tech satellite which was explained to me but yet I wasn't fully able to understand. We were also able to meet some of the other journalists who work there for both the broadcast and online sections. The friend answered mine and my friend's questions about difficulties working here with the various limitations that exist. 

The most recent news story that broke was about the two old ladies who were going to be sent for re-education camps for protesting against the government, and the family friend did a piece on it which you can check out on YouTube. I was able to view it a few days ago, but now it says the video is no longer available, but I'm not sure if that is just here in China or anywhere. I've watched Al-Jazeera English through YouTube for a while, and I would highly recommend it as they have really compelling topics not necessarily found in mainstream media.

We then headed back to Steak and Eggs, an American style diner I had to been to once before. It provided some welcome relief for a celiac to the sometimes perilous soy sauce covered Chinese food! 

After lunch I headed by myself to the Ancient Observatory which had been recommended by a friend. The ancient instruments are quite beautiful as pieces of art in themselves even if you don't fully understand how they functioned or what they were used for. There were some OK English explanations of how Chinese and Western astronomers exchanged information for the benefit of mutual understanding as early as the 15th century. The observatory is one of the oldest in the world and was still functioning until around 1920. Several instruments sit outside atop a replica of the old observatory building providing some historical perspective right next to a modern main freeway with cars rushing by.

Afterwards I went to meet my room mate at the Olympic Green again so we could walk around some more and get up close to some of the buildings for photos. I hadn't been lucky with pin trading so far, so imagine my surprise at the entrance to, in and at the exit of the subway that I was accosted by people wanting to trade pins - I think I got some good ones! Back on the Green we took photos of the Bird's Nest, broadcast tower and Water Cube which are all amazing buildings in themselves without knowing what's inside of them. We got to stay until dusk and saw the Bird's Nest and Water Cube change colors. I then went with my friend Kelly to a place called Lush, a student cafe with a laid back vibe in the Wudaoku area up north of Renmin. It was open mic night so a few people, including the owner, had their go at the mic - let's just say some were better than others. I had a salad and some chili which was really good, I hadn't had a salad in a while because they just don't serve it at many Chinese restaurants. 

On Sunday we went out to celebrate the closing ceremony at Tun Bar with drinks and dancing we some of the staff from the various venues where we worked out. Since yesterday I've been sick with a cold which is not the best timing! So just taking it easy getting well and doing the packing that has to be done before we leave in two days...

This will probably be one of my last posts before we leave on Thursday, I will upload some more photos today so check them out. Its been a crazy trip with its ups and downs, joys and frustrations, but I am definitely ready to come home. Looking forward to seeing some friendly faces soon!